We don’t stop and think about the titles of anime as often as we probably should – one could certainly go round and round trying to sort out all the levels in which “Made in Abyss” could apply to Riko or Reg, or both (and the rest of the story too).  But the “Abyss” part seems to fit the story like a glove all on its own, because this series is very much like that titular place – deep and mysterious, and the more one explores it the more additional questions present themselves.  With only two episodes left (even if the last one is double-length) that’s an especially unsettling proposition right now, but it is what it is.

At the heart of the mystery for the moment is Nanachi, of course – a creature who’s singularly unlike anything we’ve seen in the series thus far. We do get some rare answers about – and from – Nanachi this week, though her existence broadens the mystery of Made in Abyss even more.  A “hollow”, it seems, is a former human – a cave raider who’s descended to the sixth level and suffered the folkloric fate of all those who do, the loss of their humanity.  And she shares her home with another, a frankly rather hideous thing (I’m sorry, but it’s true) she calls “Mitty” – a mewling, seemingly mindless mess of flesh and teeth that was once presumably a White Whistle (perhaps even one we know of, though that’s pure conjecture).

Maddeningly, this begs so many questions I hardly know where to begin.  How is it that Nanachi – apparently unlike any other hollow – has retained her humanity in the way that really matters (and bunnies are cute, so that’s all good)?  Why is it that her domain seems to be an enchanted place, an oasis free of the Curse of the Abyss?  Why would she choose to have a creature like Mitty in her home?  One things is clear, and would be even if Nanachi hadn’t said it flat-out – as a specimen, living proof of what’s possible, she would be of enormous value to those seeking to profit from the Abyss.  In that sense, she’s very much in the same boat as Reg.

The answer to at least one of those questions seems to be found (once again) in Nanachi’s own words – pity.  She pities Mitty, though whether there’s a deeper personal connection I don’t know.  And pity is the reason she gives Reg for having intervened to save Riko, after revealing that she’d been watching the children from the moment they reached the Fourth Layer (including when “Orbie-chan” attacked them).  She is, as she says, taking a risk in revealing herself so this gesture has real significance.  Because we don’t know what Nanachi was before she descended to the Sixth Layer we can’t say whether this is what she was like as a human, but the being we’re seeing now comes off as quintessentially human – with all the complexity of motivation that implies.

Nanachi seems serious about saving Riko, though “serious” belies her communication style to say the least.  She draws Reg a map (with an adorably hilarious signature) and sends him off to find an array of scavenger hunt items to treat Riko – though it turns out only the “Shroombear” was for that, and the rest was for dinner.  Reg certainly gets his payback for the humiliation Riko inflicted on him way back at the beginning, as Nanachi’s treatment methods are rather invasive, and she shows no concern for Riko’s (or Reg’s) modesty whatsoever.  Nanachi is a welcome addition to the cast – her wry, snarky air is such a contrast to Reg and Riko and even as terrible as things seem, she does have a way of brightening the mood a little.

The matter of Nanachi’s domain is an important one, it seems – surely this place is magical or enchanted in some way.  That would be apparent in its inoculative effect for the curse, but the strange vision Reg has when he goes off to wash Riko’s pee-stained pants seems to be the proof.  Not only that, it also seems proof of the already-suggested idea that he and Lyza knew each other.  Did Lyza create Reg (that seems unlikely)?  Could he possibly be her shota husband (also unlikely, though perhaps less so)?  He certainly seems to be the one who mourned her at the field of Eternal Fortunes – a field which he sees, crowned with her Blaze Reap, despite the fact that he’s standing in Nanachi’s idyllic back meadow.

In any event, by stepping forward and helping Reg and Riko, Nanachi seems very much to have put her stamp of approval on them in a sense.  She may pity them, but I think she also respects them for their courage and single-mindedness (as stupid as those may be by any reasonable measure).  Like it or not these two children’s identities are hopelessly intertwined with the Abyss, and if they’re to have any hope of discovering who and what they are, there’s no place to go but down.  That may or may not be worth it, but for Nanachi at least, I think an answer has been arrived at.